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Jeff Snook |
5 questions with Jeff Snook
Jeff Snook is the chair of Out & Equal Workplace Advocates in DFW, and he is chair of Sodexo PRIDE in Irving. Out & Equal holds its third annual wine tasting fundraiser Thursday, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m. at Times Ten Cellars. For more information, visit OutAndEqual.org.
How are you involved with Out & Equal?
My involvement began several years ago with my company’s national support of Out & Equal. As I learned about and became more involved with the organization, I was impressed with its mission and resolved to make a difference in the workplace for LGBT employees. In 2008, I served on the affiliate leadership council as secretary and in 2009 as the chair.
How has the DFW chapter contributed to the organization’s mission?
Out & Equal is a national, nonprofit organization headquartered in San Francisco that champions safe and equitable workplaces for LGBT people. The DFW affiliate strives to produce local educational and networking events for sharing tools and best practices about important LGBT workplace issues.
Is there a way we can measure equality in the workplace and how we are doing?
For the last seven years, the Human Rights Campaign has published a report card on LGBT equality in corporate America by rating companies on how their policies, practices and benefits include LGBT employees. In 2009, 260 businesses received the top score of 100 percent compared to 195 in 2008 and 138 in 2007. We’re making progress, but personally speaking, we have a long way to go.
What are some chapter activities that you are proud of?
The Professional Development Series allows our members to exchange ideas and best practices while learning more about LGBT issues in the workplace. In 2008, we partnered with Resource Center Dallas to support the Transgender Remembering Our Dead Project, which honors the memories of the nearly 400 "documented" people who have been murdered over the last 10 years based on bias against transgender people. Through our annual wine tasting fundraiser, we are able to support the attendance of two registrants, who are doing great work in the local community, to the annual Out & Equal Workplace Summit — being held this year in Orlando in October.
What events are coming up and how can people get plugged in to volunteer?
I invite anyone interested in getting involved to attend one of our affiliate council meetings, held monthly at the Resource Center. People may attend an Out & Equal DFW event locally — with something held nearly every month. It’s a great way to connect.
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This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition August 21, 2009.
Regarding the HRC CEI index that you had referenced Mr. Snook, have a look at what is REALLY going on with that index and how it misleads the public about corporations:
https://www.bilerico.com/2009/01/best_place_to_work_not_if_you_dont_offer.php
Employee direct experience doesn’t lie Mr. Snook and it has been repeatedly shown that Out and Equal’s workplace strategy doesn’t work. How many more GLBT employees are getting railroaded at their companies due to the Out and Equal corporate “executives” dictating corporate diversity policy via their “Best Practices” business model so that they can get THEIR promotions while other GLBT employees get kicked to the curb………
Out and Equal is a SHAM !! Its a gay and lesbian corporate boys and girls ONLY club led BY corporate executives FOR corporate executives and is a perfect venue for these executives to go and share community gossip with each other in an effort to protect each other’s companies from discrimination lawsuits……….
I’m rather surprised Mr. Snook that the organization is having a fundraiser to solicit money from the outside. I would think that Out and Equal would obtain its funds from the usual “sponsorship” dollar pool generated by the corporate boys and girls you have on your board. After all, many of them are “esteemed” executives with their companies so I’m sure corporate dollars will be obtained from them easily………
As a member of the GLBT community who has attended a few of your DFW affiliate meetings, I will say that OUT and EQUAL has a long way to go. Once your group decides that it wants to hold community discussions rather than corporate strategic sales and
marketing meetings then perhaps Out and Equal wil begin on that path to change….
Thank you for your time.